Come learn more about the bitter and largely misunderstood situation on the ground in Iraq and Syria, including the U.S. military and political responses and alternative solutions to the crisis, as we hear from some of the most well-informed analysts in the U.S. You will have an opportunity to ask questions following their presentations and discuss options we can take to curtail the violence.

Following the speaker presentations and Q&A, refreshments will be served providing you an opportunity to talk informally with the speakers and the other members of the audience. Don’t miss this exciting forum!

Speakers:

Phyllis Bennis directs the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and is a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. She has been a writer, analyst, and activist on Middle East and UN issues for many years. In 2001 she helped found and remains on the advisory board of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. She writes and speaks widely across the U.S. and around the world as part of the global peace movement.

Dr. Younes Parsa Benab is retired dean and professor of political science, Strayer University. An active member of the Iranian diaspora, he is author of the two volume book: One Hundred Year History of Iranian Political Parties and Organizations (1904-2004) and over a hundred other articles about Iran and the world, in Persian and English.

Raed Jarrar serves as American Friends Service Committee’s Policy Impact Coordinator at the Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington, D.C. Since his immigration to the U.S. in 2005, he has worked on political and cultural issues pertaining to U.S. engagement in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Widely recognized as an expert on political, social, and economic developments in the Middle East, he has testified in numerous Congressional hearings and briefings and is a frequent guest on national and international media outlets in both Arabic and English.

Sponsored by: Peace Action Montgomery. Co-sponsored by Sandy Spring Friends Peace Committee, Democratic Socialists of America/DC, Montgomery County Coalition for Civil Rights, Nation Discussion Group/DC Metro, Maryland United for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace (others are being confirmed).